Australia exported over 1.2 million tonnes of barley in December

In 2025/26 MY, barley production in Australia increased to a record 15.7 million tonnes, which will exceed the 2024/25 MY harvest by 19%, as well as the previous record (14.65 million tonnes) set in 2020/21 MY.

 

Markets had expected global barley prices to fall amid increased supply, but recent tenders have shown a sharp increase in prices. However, Ukrainian and European exporters will soon feel the pressure of a record Australian harvest.

 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in December 2025, Australia exported 1.223 million tons of barley (of which 875 thousand tons were feed and 349 thousand tons were malt), which was the largest monthly export since December 2023. At the same time, malt barley exports increased fivefold compared to November, Ukragroconsult reports.

 

Almost 80% of the country's exported feed barley (or 700 thousand tons) was purchased by China. Saudi Arabia (159 thousand tons) and Vietnam (6.6 thousand tons) also bought significant volumes. The largest buyers of malting barley were China (262 thousand tons), Saudi Arabia (67 thousand tons) and South Korea (14.7 thousand tons).

 

Sorghum exports in December decreased by 56% compared to November to 12.9 thousand tons, and the main buyers remained China, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

 

Analysts note that record barley production and active exports from Western Australia have kept global feed barley prices high. Demand from China and the Middle East remains strong, and supplies in the first months of 2026 will be active.

 

According to McDonald Pelz experts, about 60% of the planned exports have already been shipped, and by the end of February this figure could reach 70%. Demand for barley remains stable, so the market will remain highly active until the end of the season due to well-established supplies and competitive prices in different regions of Australia.